IID/BRAC SURVEY
Piloted 2015
BACKGROUND
The Institute of Informatics and Development (IID) is a non-profit policy research institute which promotes evidence-based and participatory public policy, bridging the widening information gap between information-rich and information-poor segments of society. The Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) is a development organisation dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor. ASER Bangladesh is a partnership between IID and BRAC for evidence-based policy advocacy through Citizen-led Assessment.
IID AND BRAC
In 2015, the IID and BRAC jointly conducted a pilot survey to assess children’s basic learning competencies in English, Bangla and arithmetic. The pilot was conducted in two districts of the Sylhet division, and the assessments were given to all children aged 5 to 15. Findings from the pilot study point to grave problems in the quality of education in rural Bangladesh.
THE IID/BRAC SURVEY
The findings from the pilot study point to serious problems in the quality of education in rural Bangladesh, and have been shared by IID and BRAC with key national figures and policymakers. Bangladesh formally applied for membership of the PAL Network in 2016. They were granted provisional membership by the PAL Network Steering Committee in February 2016. IID hopes to conduct regular assessments of children’s basic competencies and learn from the experiences of PAL Network member countries.
SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION
The first pilot assessment took place in 2 Districts of Bangladesh (Sylhet and Sunamgani) during the month of May 2015. The survey collected information about factors that may affect the acquisition of basic learning competencies including: Per capita household income (monthly), electricity connection at home and whether or not children assist their parents in income-generating activities. In the summary report, performance of children in Class 2, 3 and 4 were compared against these three different indicators.
LANGUAGES OF ASSESSMENT
Tests are developed in English and Bangla.